Assessment in social work
Learning Objectives
After considering this resource, you should understand the basic framework for assessment in social work.
Assessment is a core aspect of social work practice. It allows you to be proactive in your practice and enables you to intervene in a planned and therefore, more effective manner. As a process, assessment should be seen as '...both an art and a science since it involves wisdom, skills, appreciation of diversity and systematically applied knowledge in practice'. (Parker, 2007a, 2008, p.4). Milner and O'Byrne (2009, p.4) encapsulate these characteristics in a five stage process of assessing a situation; this preparation for practice worksheet illustrates their framework.
Reflective Questions
- Imagine you have been handed an assessment. How would you approach stage 1, preparing for the task in hand?
- Consider how your approach to an assessment might differ for a family with a child in need from that of an elderly man who may need to go into residential care.
- How does the increasing emphasis on managing risk impact assessment?
- How does evidence-based practice impact on assessment?
References:
J Milner and P O'Byrne (2009) Assessment in Social Work, 3rd edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
J Parker and G Bradley (2010) Social Work Practice: Assessment, Planning, Intervention and Review, 3rd edition. Exeter: Learning Matters.